Birmingham is great to explore by car

You can travel to Birmingham by car or even hire a car whilst you are in Birmingham. There is so much to do and a car makes it all possible. 

Birmingham is on the major motorway networks and so you can get to it easily and get out of it just as easily. Travel times up to Manchester are only 1 hour 36. You can be in London in under 2 hours. But be aware the motorway network around the M^ and in particular the famous Spaghetti Junction can get very busy and congested so plan your journey times well.

If you are arriving at Birmingham airport then you may want to consider hiring a car from the airport. Or you can just jump straight on a train and travel on to Birmingham New St station. There are lots of car hire companies at the airport, but to get a good deal it is worth checking out a comparison site like this one

With a car you can travel around many of the suburbs of Birmingham and really experiece what the city has to offer, whether it is a Balti or a visit to one of Birmingham's great parks. 
 
Birmingham has a  number of train stations. the main station is Birmingham New St, It is served by many of the rail networks. You can travel around Birmingham from this station or you can travel to other destinations within the UK. In particular you can catch a Virgin Train and be in London within 1 and a half hours.

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/birmingham-new-street-station/departures-arrivals/

The city centre also has two other stations, Moor St and Snowhill.

People often assume that Birmingham International Train Station is located in the City Centre but in fact it is 14KM East by the airport and the National Exhibition Centre.